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 Elite Veteran
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Location: GODS country | Considering buying an off the track 2 year old that had 2 outs. What was your process? Did you let them rest or start in western saddle? Would like to futurity! |
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  Twin Sister to Queen Boobie
Posts: 13315
  
Location: East Tennessee but who knows?! | I picked up my first one as a 3yr old appendix off the track. We did everything from western pleasure and trail to Hunter and I started him on barrels. I put him down a few months back at 25.
Just picked up 9yr old OTTB as an eventing prospect. Had him a month and I love working with him. He's all business and smart, and he doesn't put up with crap.
They're not for everyone - they're sensitive and smart and over react. Most don't tie or load, tend to be front end heavy and they balance on the bit.
Like any other horse, start them like they're a colt that doesn't know anything. Put a good foundation on them and get them soft and light and teach a good whoa. Teach them to relax.
Anything done right in the best interest of the horse takes time. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 1062
Location: Probably On the Road to the Next Barrel Race! | whatshe said is correct...I've had 2, both turned out after a year of kind of starting them from scratch ala Clinton Anderson, to be really nice barrel horses. |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 617
Location: London Ontario | I bought a 3 yr old with about six outs this fall. She had a month of just being a horse. She wasn't just kicked out in a field however. We brought her in and out everyday (in stalls at night). and we also did lots of standing tied and being groomed and that kind of stuff. Now that I have started her she is so quiet, a little quick but quiet. She is funny with her mouth but is definitely getting better. I had to tie her down a few times but she is MUCH better now. I find that they have seen a lot from being on the track so its a good start.
Make sure you buy from a reputable breeder/trainer. Some of them do crash HARD after coming of the track. You will probably have to watch for ulcers and get him back on a normal horse diet rather then tons of sweet feed. Good luck!! |
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"Heck's Coming With Me"
Posts: 10797
Location: Kansas | Fairweather - 2015-10-27 10:31 PM I picked up my first one as a 3yr old appendix off the track. We did everything from western pleasure and trail to Hunter and I started him on barrels. I put him down a few months back at 25.
Just picked up 9yr old OTTB as an eventing prospect. Had him a month and I love working with him. He's all business and smart, and he doesn't put up with crap.
They're not for everyone - they're sensitive and smart and over react. Most don't tie or load, tend to be front end heavy and they balance on the bit.
Like any other horse, start them like they're a colt that doesn't know anything. Put a good foundation on them and get them soft and light and teach a good whoa. Teach them to relax.
Anything done right in the best interest of the horse takes time.
Spot on.......
I have a now 27 year old son of Mr. Trucka Jet. Loaded with talent all his life but hair-trigger temper and always just a hair short of being dangerous. Got him when he was three AAA off the track. If I didn't love him I wouldn't still be taking care of him but dang...........
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 795
Location: GODS country | Thanks for the info! She hasn't been trained or on the track much with only 2 outs, so hopefully that's to my advantage! |
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Extreme Veteran
Posts: 313
Location: Texas | I've had about 6 off the track now and I think OTT horses get a bad wrap of having tough mouths and being flighty, but it's an over generalization. That hasn't been the case with the horses I've had and run, of which many of them went on to be 1D horses. Some of them were heavier in their front end, but I've also had several that were as light mouthed as a horse that didn't run on the track (those horses had less than 5 outs, One was a race winner and the other only placed). Sometimes the "downhill" feeling is actually from how they are built, rather than how they were trained. I've had horses that didn't place at all on the track and I've had several that were winners, i don't think it makes that big of a difference in the barrel pen. What you will find is that if they have work ethic, then they turn out to be nice horses. If they are sound and have not been abused (I've never had one that I would consider to have been treated badly), then, they turn out to be nice horses. What you will find is that most of them are quieter than a 2 year old that person kicked out and didn't handle. I'd rather have one off the track that had been handled daily, put on the walker, shod, and hauled than a colt that has been out to pasture "growing up". It's true most of them don't know how to back out of a trailer, but that because most race rigs have ramps and they are used to being turned around. All of mine have tied just fine. I had one that would set back, but I don't think that was from the track, I think that was just her. You can look up charts on equibase and see their speed index and how they ran their races. You can find out a lot of information that way. Good Luck :)
Edited by MarissaBerg 2015-10-28 10:42 AM
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 823
Location: East Texas | I was curious about this as well. I have a couple of breeders/trainers that will practically give me any of their well bred TBs that they do not think will make it at the track. I know they have turned some into excellent event horses. I was thinking this my be my only way to afford 1D speed. |
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 Namesless in BHW
Posts: 10368
Location: At the race track with Ah Dee Ohs | We put them right in a stock saddle and go on with them. |
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Industrial Srength Barrel Racer
Posts: 7268
| Frodo - 2015-10-28 8:43 AM
Fairweather - 2015-10-27 10:31 PM I picked up my first one as a 3yr old appendix off the track. We did everything from western pleasure and trail to Hunter and I started him on barrels. I put him down a few months back at 25.
Just picked up 9yr old OTTB as an eventing prospect. Had him a month and I love working with him. He's all business and smart, and he doesn't put up with crap.
They're not for everyone - they're sensitive and smart and over react. Most don't tie or load, tend to be front end heavy and they balance on the bit.
Like any other horse, start them like they're a colt that doesn't know anything. Put a good foundation on them and get them soft and light and teach a good whoa. Teach them to relax.
Anything done right in the best interest of the horse takes time.
Spot on.......
I have a now 27 year old son of Mr. Trucka Jet. Loaded with talent all his life but hair-trigger temper and always just a hair short of being dangerous. Got him when he was three AAA off the track. If I didn't love him I wouldn't still be taking care of him but dang...........
Arrow Jet!  |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 669
Location: Central Texas | I have one and I absolutely adore him. Got him when he was 9, he was raced HARD so he has some useage issues but I have found his work ethic to be the best of any horse I have ever owned. Even if he is having a little stiffness on a day he goes out and does what I ask. He likes a job, he likes to do it and he doesn't care to be picked on when he's done it. He learns faster than any I have had as well. He loads, unloads (backs out), ties and stands for farrier. He feels a little different than my quarter horses while riding. His front stride feels very rolling to me, he collects very well and holds it. He can get a little antsy while being asked to just stand while you're on him but he settles quickly. He had no problems handling the noise and business at a barrel race the first time he went. He is softer mouthed than my quarterhorse and I have never had an issue with stopping him and I have really opened him up. Asked for a stop and he came right back to me and stopped. He is very much a people horse, loves to the attention. I agree with the other poster who said that OTT's get a bad rep for the most part. I would definitely consider buying another if I were looking. |
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 That's White "Man" to You
Posts: 5515
| I've had several, some TB's and some QH's. They are great because you can just go to ridding them. They have been handled enough that you dont have to spend time on things like picking up their feet ect. My biggest problem with all of the OTTQH's is that they all had terrible terrible feet.
Edited by Whiteboy 2015-10-28 11:59 AM
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"Heck's Coming With Me"
Posts: 10797
Location: Kansas | Griz - 2015-10-28 11:35 AM Frodo - 2015-10-28 8:43 AM Fairweather - 2015-10-27 10:31 PM I picked up my first one as a 3yr old appendix off the track. We did everything from western pleasure and trail to Hunter and I started him on barrels. I put him down a few months back at 25.
Just picked up 9yr old OTTB as an eventing prospect. Had him a month and I love working with him. He's all business and smart, and he doesn't put up with crap.
They're not for everyone - they're sensitive and smart and over react. Most don't tie or load, tend to be front end heavy and they balance on the bit.
Like any other horse, start them like they're a colt that doesn't know anything. Put a good foundation on them and get them soft and light and teach a good whoa. Teach them to relax.
Anything done right in the best interest of the horse takes time. Spot on.......
I have a now 27 year old son of Mr. Trucka Jet. Loaded with talent all his life but hair-trigger temper and always just a hair short of being dangerous. Got him when he was three AAA off the track. If I didn't love him I wouldn't still be taking care of him but dang...........
Arrow Jet!
You've experienced a few off the track haven't you Griz.
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 Extreme Veteran
Posts: 310
Location: North Dakota | I have gotten quite a few off track horses. I keep treating them like a horse. I do wean them off the high energy feeds and direct them towards my feeding program. I've been fortunate enough that none of mine have crash dieted.
Just like another poster stated, its not a bad idea to treat them like a green broke horse and go from there. Some I've ridden truly acted like green colts. So I started them from the ground up. Other's I've ridden have surprised me and I go to riding them and they already know or pick up quickly on flexion and leg pressure, etc. Start with your basics and if they have it, move on. If they don't, work on it. The one I just bought a few weeks ago already rides around better than half the horses in the warm up pen at races I've attended. I start out with a lot of slow work and get them used to leg pressure, flexion and moving laterally. You already know they can run, so show them its ok to move slow too.
I hate to generalize all off track horses as "crazy" because that isn't always the case. I've gotten some that were super reactive, and I've also had a larger number come off and were great to work with and wonderful to be around. I think a LOT has to do with the type of trainer they come from and what type of behavior that trainer will/won't allow. The trainer I personally buy from stresses manners. IMO manners do not have an impact on their speed index, so there's no reason they can't behave. |
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Elite Veteran
Posts: 795
Location: GODS country | Great info everyone!! |
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 Elite Veteran
Posts: 964
Location: Alberta, Canada | My OTTB was the easiest horse I've ever started on the pattern... came super quick and because she had been to 'the school of hard knocks', she hauls and seasons so easy. She's the only colt ive ever had that doesnt need to exhibition or get into the arena. she already makes pretty much the same run every time. She's the smartest, most willing horse I've ever swung a leg over.
That being said, she has not been all sunshine and rainbows in the practice pen. She has alot of habits and idiocracies that have been challenging at best. There have been many a days when I've wondered what I'm thinking, lots of tears shed and bouts of frustration. There have been and continue to be alot of everyday challenges with her. I'm told that not all off the track horses are super hot... mine was and at times still is. That being said, ive also heard that most horses come of the track super front endy and bracing on the bit. My mare was and still is extremely well balanced and bracing on the bit has never been an issue. So I guess it was an ok trade off in that area lol. Off the track horses are worth every second imo. but they arent for the faint of heart. Mine has taught me so much about myself. She keeps me humble!
I personally wouldnt rush out to buy another anytime soon. However, my reasons aren't because I didnt enjoy it or think off the track horses arent worth the time... my reason is because I truly feel I got a very special one and I'm scared of having high expectations for another and being disappointed. That might sound a little stuck up, but it's true. Everyone has that one horse i suppose. |
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 You get what you give
Posts: 13030
Location: Texas | I love them. I wouldn't mind only riding OTTs honestly. I've had a bad apple, and one that was crippled, but that was only two out of the probably 5-6 I've had at this point. I like getting them off the track. But I do usually only get mares so theres salvage value if they end up not working out or if they have an injury i missed. |
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Off The Track Horses.....what's your experience?